Thursday, March 17, 2016

4 Festive, Dye-Free Green Foods to Eat on St. Patrick’s Day

Happy St. Patrick’s Day! A holiday that has been traditionally associated with all things green, St. Patty’s often conjures up images of shamrock-shaped cookies, green eggs and ham, and all other manner of cute foods that require green dye in order to get that traditional festive hue. Not big on using food coloring and dyes (for good reason)? No worries—there are plenty of naturally green foods that are delicious, festive-looking and completely free of artificial dyes and ingredients.

Avocado Pasta

This absolutely decadent treat based on a recipe by Angela Liddon of OhSheGlows is as luxurious as it is healthy. It also happens to be completely vegan! If you’ve never tried an avocado-based pasta sauce, you’re missing out.

Combine 1 T of olive oil, 2 cloves of garlic and lemon juice to taste in a food processor. Process until the garlic cloves are essentially minced. Now add the fruit of one super-ripe avocado, a handful of basil, a handful of spinach leaves and as much salt and pepper as you’d like. Process again until the mixture becomes nice and creamy. Add it on top of your favorite pasta and get ready to have your mind blown.

Green Smoothie

Green smoothies are all the rage, and they’re also super healthy. So why not start your St. Patrick’s Day off with a refreshing combo of kale, pineapple and banana? This recipe from Real Simple is healthy, delicious and, well, green.

Start off with ½ cup coconut milk and 2 cups of chopped kale. Combine in a blender, and then add ½ cup water, 1.5 cups chopped pineapple and 1 ripe banana. Blend until smooth and enjoy.

Chopped Kale Salad

Eating a kale salad would be a fantastic way to start off your holiday. Kale is one of those superfoods that simply has everything: protein, folate, fiber, vitamins A, C and K and even some omega-3s.

Avocado-based ice cream is a great vegan alternative to traditional varieties, and what better time that St. Patrick’s Day to try out this green treat? This recipe, published on AllRecipes.com, features avocado and coconut cream.

Simply puree 2 ripe avocados, 1.5 cups of your milk of choice (vegans, go for coconut or almond milk), ½ cup white sugar, 1 cup coconut cream, and ¾ cups lemon juice in your blender. Place the mixture in your fridge for at least three hours, and then prepare it according to the instructions provided by your ice cream maker.